South Morang's future soccer stars now have a new space to perfect their headers, passes and scissor kicks, with Council redeveloping the sports ground at Hillsview Recreation Reserve.
City of Whittlesea Chair Administrator Lydia Wilson was joined this week by The Hon. Lily D'Ambrosio, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change and Minister for Solar Homes, to mark the official opening of the upgraded reserve.
The $774,000 redevelopment included the installation of a grass sports field, with a water-efficient irrigation and drainage system, new coaches' boxes, and updated perimeter fencing, including a ball catching fence. The upgrade also included the construction of concrete pathways, providing easy access to the playing field, car park and spectator viewing areas.
Administrator Wilson said that Council's investment into the reserve would support the rising popularity of soccer in the City of Whittlesea.
"With soccer participation increasing almost 25 per cent in the City of Whittlesea over the last five years, Council is focused on providing high quality facilities for our community, including females, to participate in the growing sport," Ms Wilson said.
"These improvements will add 20 hours a week to the capacity of the ground, which means more opportunities for the Bundoora United Football Club to grow."
Bundoora United Football Club President, Dean Triantafylidis, has welcomed the upgrade, which will provide year-round access to the reserve for the 300-member club.
"Having a grass pitch to complement our synthetic pitch will better enable our club to provide a richer experience for our junior and senior members," Mr Triantafylidis said.
"It will help attract new members to our community to enjoy this great game of ours."
The City of Whittlesea's $274,000 investment into the Hillsview Recreation Reserve upgrade was supported by a $500,000 contribution from the Victorian Government's Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program.
Hillsview Recreation Reserve is located at 100 Great Eastern Way, South Morang.
